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Death and the Maiden (La muerte y la doncella) Ariel Dorfman, 1990 Setting, Historical Context: A nameless country in Latin America that has only recently returned to democracy (i.e. Post-Pinochet Chile) Augusto Pinochet: 1915-2006 The Aftermath of Tyranny Ariel Dorfman: 1942 – Born Buenos Aires, 1942 U.S., 1943 – 1954 Chile, 1954 – 1973 U.S., 1973 – 1990 A political refugee during the Pinochet regime, Dorfman now divides his time between the U.S. and Chile. He has been a professor at Duke University since 1985. Dorfmann’s work: varied and prolific • The Last Song of Manuel Sendero (1988): “futuristic exploits of a politically asphyxiated dictatorship.” • Blake’s Therapy (2001): “the conditions of reality in contemporary capitalist culture.” • Exorcising Terror: The Incredible Unending Trial of Augusto Pinochet (2002) • Americanos: Los pasos de Murieta (2009): ”narrating California, the incorporation of part of the Mexican territory to the U.S., from the Latin American perspective.” Death and the Maiden • Motif in Renaissance painting • Originated with the Medieval Dance of Death, but with an added erotic subtext • Dance of Death: an allegory about the universality of death, and its unifying power • Later revived in the Romantic period (“Christabel”?) Michael Wolgemut, Germany, 1943: “Dance of Death” “Death and the Maiden” by Franz Schubert quartet / lied – “death knell accompanying a song about the terror & comfort of death” The song details “a woman’s subjection to a death figure in musical form.” Original German – Der Tod und das Mädchen English: Death and the Maiden Das Mädchen: Vorüber! Ach, vorüber! Geh, wilder Knochenmann! Ich bin noch jung! Geh, lieber, Und rühre mich nicht an. Und rühre mich nicht an. The Maiden: Pass me by! Oh, pass me by! Go, fierce man of bones! I am still young! Go, rather, And do not touch me. And do not touch me. Der Tod: Gib deine Hand, du schön und zart Gebild! Bin Freund, und komme nicht, zu strafen. Sei gutes Muts! ich bin nicht wild, Sollst sanft in meinen Armen schlafen! Death: Give me your hand, you beautiful and tender form! I am a friend, and come not to punish. Be of good cheer! I am not fierce, Softly shall you sleep in my arms! The play: • A drama in three acts, with three characters: – Paulina Salas: a woman around 40, formerly a political activist who was taken captive and tortured twenty years earlier during a hostile military regime – Gerardo Escobar: her husband, a lawyer who has just been offered a position on a commission to investigate the crimes of the previous regime – Dr. Roberto Miranda: a medical doctor who helps Gerardo when his car gets a flat tire near his home • Setting: A remote Chilean beach house, 1990’s Citations • • • • • • • • • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hans_Baldung_006.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Death_and_the_Maiden.jpg http://sakenaveen.blogspot.com/ http://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/blogs/worldviews/category?cat=1025 http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,,1970170,00.html http://bombsite.com/issues/50/articles/1833 http://blog.moviefone.com/2007/09/12/tiff-review-a-promise-tothe-dead-the-exile-journey-of-ariel-d/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Dorfman http://www.sevenstories.com/book/?GCOI=58322100832030